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Philadelphia Couple Awarded $25 Million in Asbestosis Case
After decades of working with a variety of asbestos-contaminated products, Richard Daciw was diagnosed with asbestosis. He and his wife Winifred filed a lawsuit seeking compensation for the damages he suffered, and after hearing testimony about extensive negligence on the part of multiple manufacturers, a Philadelphia jury has awarded the couple $25 million in damages.
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Protein That Fights the Immune System Plays Key Role in Mesothelioma
Researchers in the United Kingdom have recently discovered how a specific human protein works to help cancer thrive, and their findings may prove helpful in fighting malignant mesothelioma.
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Veteran’s Mesothelioma Blamed on Asbestos Exposure in Nuclear Submarine
Albert O. Howard was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma in 2020. He and his wife filed a negligence lawsuit against Armstrong Pumps, blaming them for his exposure to asbestos during the years that he served in the U.S. Navy. Though the company argued that the case against them should be dismissed, their petition was denied
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Study Suggests Elevated Suicide Risk Following Mesothelioma Surgery
Despite physicians’ best efforts, the current 5-year survival rate for patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma is just ten percent. As bleak as this statistic is, a new study conducted by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston has added to caregivers’ concerns: they found a significantly higher risk for suicide among patients undergoing surgery for
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Mesothelioma Patients Encouraged by Results of Tumor Treating Fields Study
Tumor treating fields are one of the most promising innovations being offered to patients with malignant mesothelioma. The protocol uses electrical fields to kill cancer cells and was only recently approved for use in treating the rare asbestos-related disease. A study examining tumor treating fields’ effectiveness in treating patients with a different type of cancer
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New Research May Reveal How Mesothelioma Metastasizes
Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer. The disease is characterized by tumors that form in the lining of the lungs or the abdomen. Treatment focuses on removing or minimizing the tumors that are identified and preventing their return or spread. New research has provided greater understanding of how cancer cells metastasize, and may
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Dairy Farm Must Face Mesothelioma Widow
After his mesothelioma diagnosis, Richard Shellenberger and his wife Pamela filed a lawsuit against several defendants. Among them were Kreider Dairy Farms, Inc. and Noah W. Kreider & Sons, LLP, the company for whom he worked from 1972 through September 1980. Though the trial court granted the dairy and its owners’ petition for summary judgment, the
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Japanese Study Provides Hope for Mesothelioma Patients’ Wellbeing Following Surgery
Malignant mesothelioma is notoriously resistant to traditional treatment protocols and is always considered fatal. Still, many patients live beyond statistical expectations after submitting to surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy treatments. A recent study conducted at Hyogo College of Medicine found that pleural mesothelioma patients can both feel better subjectively and be in objectively better condition a
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Are 3D-Patient Tumor Avatars the Future of Mesothelioma Treatment?
Precision oncology is one of the most promising innovations for curing hard-to-treat cancers like malignant mesothelioma. Rather than having patients submit to traditional chemotherapy and radiation therapy treatments, whose effectiveness is uncertain but whose toxicity is well known, researchers are hoping to use each patient’s unique genetics to guide choices and improve outcomes. An exciting
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Judge Denies Goodyear’s Petition to Have Asbestos Case Against them Dismissed
Though malignant mesothelioma is the deadliest asbestos-related disease, it is far from the only one. Asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer, COPD, and many other malignancies have been attributed to inhalation or ingestion of the carcinogen. Paul M. Moutal blames his lung cancer on exposure to asbestos in Goodyear floor tiles that he cut and installed during
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Shipyard’s Attempt to Evade Liability Shut Down by Judge in Asbestos Cancer Case
When a person is diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma or any other asbestos-related cancer, they immediately focus on where their illness came from. Those who decide to pursue justice file suit against manufacturers and others who negligently exposed them to the carcinogen, and those companies generally take steps to defend themselves or to minimize their liability.
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Occupational Health Study Points to Shipboard Asbestos as Source of Sailors’ Mesothelioma Risk
A quick review of pending and past mesothelioma claims makes clear that ships and shipyards have always been dangerous, asbestos-contaminated places. The vast majority of those seeking compensation for previous exposure are Navy veterans or others who worked in or around maritime vessels. As much as we may think of this as a risk from
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Is Base Editing the Future of Mesothelioma Treatment?
As mesothelioma patients struggle in the face of their intractable disease, researchers around the world continue exploring new approaches to treatment-resistant cancers. Among these is a new gene editing technology called base editing that has delivered remarkable results for a young leukemia patient in London, England.
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For Those Exposed to Asbestos, Pleural Effusions Can Effectively Rule Mesothelioma Out
If you or someone you love has a known exposure to asbestos, mesothelioma is a constant fear. The rare, asbestos-related disease has a latency period that extends to decades, and the slightest cough can give rise to terror. Physicians treating patients suspected of having the disease go through a process called differential diagnosis. Differential diagnosis
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Asbestos Product Company’s Insurer Argues Against Mesothelioma Liability
When mesothelioma victims file claims against asbestos companies, they frequently accuse dozens of companies of responsibility. In the case of Kirk Reulet, defendants included his former employers, property owners of premises where he was exposed, manufacturers and distributors of asbestos-contaminated products, and many of those companies’ insurers. When an insurer argued that it should not
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Italian Study Examines Mesothelioma Rate Advancement Among Asbestos Cement Workers
It is well known that exposure to asbestos causes malignant mesothelioma. What is not as understood is the degree to which exposure to significant levels of asbestos expedites the disease’s occurrence. Italian researchers conducted a study to answer this question, looking at victims of both malignant pleural mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer.
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Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes May Be Future Mesothelioma Treatment
Though it is still early in the investigative process, positive results from the use of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes on lung cancer patients may hold promise for those with malignant pleural mesothelioma.
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Johnson & Johnson Files Lawsuit Against Mesothelioma Expert
For years, Johnson & Johnson has faced personal injury claims filed by people diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and ovarian cancer who blame talc in the company’s cosmetic products for their illness. With 40,000 claims pending, the company pursued a controversial legal strategy: they transferred all liability for their talc-based products to a new subsidiary, then
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Asbestos Company’s Attempt to Remove Mesothelioma Case Denied by Court
Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos. Victims of the fatal disease often seek compensation from the companies whose negligence led to their illness. Afraid of multi-million-dollar verdicts against them, these companies use various legal maneuvers to have cases dismissed or heard in courts thought to be less sympathetic to victims. In a recent case
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Mesothelioma Lawsuit Against Avon Ends with Jury awarding $52.1 Million in Damages
A 76-year-old woman and her husband were awarded $52.1 million in damages by a California jury that agreed that her malignant mesothelioma was caused by exposure to asbestos in Avon cosmetic products. The jury assigned a percentage of blame to another defendant, a forklift maker for whom her husband had worked.
